Porsche Carrera GT Shaves 16 Seconds Off Its Original Nürburgring Time With New Rubber From Michelin - Storyboard

Porschephile or not, the Carrera GT is one car that requires little effort to seduce

Be it the evocative soundtrack from its 600-horsepower F1-derived V-10 engine

Or the 6-speed manual with that Beachwood shifter, the CGT remains one of the German automaker's most significant models of all time

However, in the two decades that it has been around, the CGT has developed a reputation of being a modern-day widowmaker with several high-profile crashes, resulting in lawsuits

One of the most effective ways to improve safety is with tires, and Porsche roped in Michelin to develop Pilot-cup Sport 2's for the CGT

Advancements in tire technology have come a long way in the past 20 years, and Porsche has decided to offer this new rubber to CGT owners, free of cost

But what better way to demonstrate the safety and capability of fresh rubber than at the 13-mile Nürburgring

Porsche entrusted this task to Works Driver Jörg Bergmeister

These Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires are a straight swap for the old Pilot Super Sports from 2013 and even the original Pilot Sport PS2s from way back when the Carrera GT first hit the scene

With the fresh rubber, Bergmeister hit the track hard, with a nice burnout

And with that, it was on to the iconic start-stop line of the Nordschleife and explore the limits of grip in an old relic

Things looked a lot more civilized on the iconic Carousel, which is a blind left-hand corner, midway through the Nürburgring

On the final stretch, Bergmeister topped out at 187 mph with the Carrera GT's brand new shoes

He set a lap time of 7:12.69 minutes, a new record

This time is 16 seconds quicker than the Carrera GT's original lap time of 7:28, set by the legendary Walter Röhrl

The two-time world rally champion and Porsche Works driver was instrumental in the development of the Porsche Carrera GT back in the early 2000s

While several modern-day 911s are quicker around the Nürburgring today, none can offer the analog visceral feel of a Carrera GT